slow graphics advice, new card? pls, thanx

[Guest dre777]

ok here's the problem: slow loading textures lagg behind and slow my fps down. occassional stuttering. difficulty with dense scenery and cannot handle AA. -G4 ti4200 64mbthe solution i believe is a new graphics card. i don't want to spend more than 200$ unless i have to. i was thinking fx5200, but would like to know about ati 9700, does it have something equivalent to nvidias horizontal strecth option, where u strech the screeen onto two moitors? and how does the fx5200 perform for fs2002? here's my system spec, must be a bottle neck somewhere. thanks guys.dell dimension 82002.53 gig512 mb rdramg4 ti4200 64mbsoundblaster live2 x 40 gig hdsfps 10-15 w/ some stuttering and slow textures-Andre

[Guest ba747heavy]

I would absolutely *stay away* from the FX series. Looks like piles of junk, IMHO. Get the ATI 9700 *Pro* if you can. Don't know about 'stretch' on the 9700, but it can do 2 monitors.

[wsieffert 0]

I would first try updating the controller chip and diskdrive accelerator drivers, i.e., Intel, VIA, SiS, AMD, ALi before giving up on this graphics adapter. I would also review what drivers you are using with the card; review what you are running in the background (TSR programs); review BIOS settings - www.rojakpot.com .I would check Dell's site for any updates for the above items then the vendor sites for updates. I would read the FAQs at Dell sites to see if the problems have been discussed.

[Guest]

9800 if you can afford it, but 9700 should drop to about $275 soon if you buy from new egg or another reputable dealer

[Guest ba747heavy]

The 9800 might not run on the hardware he has, being as the 9800 is 8x AGP, and I would be willing to bet that his motherboard is only 4x.

[Guest dre777]

thanks for the replys guys. i am now considering upgrading my motherboard, because my current board seems to be rather weak. it can only handle a 250w power supply and 4x agp. the 9500 pro recommends 300w. furthermore i don't have usb 2.0 and would have to buy it anyway. does usb 2.0 speed up game controllers? anyway, should i upgrade my motherboard? how? what parts/software will i need? is it risky business? i know my way around a computer but i've never done anything like swap motherboards before. by the way dell sucks.dell dimension 82002.53 gig512 rdramti4200 g4 64mbsound blaster livedvd, cdrw external2 x 30gig hds2 flat panel displays

[wsieffert 0]

What! Huh! Exactly what do you mean by, "...it can only handle a 250w power supply and 4x agp..."!!Your MOBO could handle a 10,000w powersupply, if you could stuff it into your case. The MOBO and all the peripheral, fans, lights, extra goodies in and attached to your computer case draw current from the powersupply. If the MOBO and peripherals are suffering from an overloaded powersupply then you might have problems.I would agree the 250w powersupply provided by Dell is on the light side when you start adding all the peripherals. Have you considered replacing the powersupply before anything else? If you do, make sure you get a powersupply that has the correct connector for your MOBO and CPU.How old is your computer? I find it hard to believe your computer MOBO doesn't support USB2.As far as 4x versus 8x, you MOBO will accept an 8X card. Secondly, there aren't many or any programs running 8X capabilities.

[Guest dre777]

dell told me that i need a new motherboard to upgrade the power supply. as far as usb 2 goes i meant that i need to buy a card for that, a new motherboard would include it. i really don't know much about motherboards, but it sure would be nice to just have to buy a power supply- buyt how can i be sure that i won't fry my board. will going from a ti4200 64mb to an ati 9500 pro 128mb give a significant increase in performance?Dre

[wsieffert 0]

Well, since I can't see inside your case and look at your MOBO, I can't be sure what the "experts" at Dell are telling you. It may be that the MOBO you now have has special proprietary connectors not on a normal MOBO and their powersupply has these connectors.If you are not sure about nosing around inside your computer, then you are going to have to get someone with more experience to show you whether or not you can replace the present powersupply.Generally, the Pentium 4's require an additional connector, so a replacement powersupply must come with this connector. See this page:http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/dim82...hov.htm#1101836

[Guest dre777]

I've decided not to mess with the motherboard. i feel fine about opening the thing up, but it's not worth the cost to buy so many new components, might as well wait till i get a new system. but i did get the 9500 pro. my nvidia card had the option to strech the virtual cockpit accross both my montiors using nviews horizontal strech to get 1600X800 or something accross both. i won't keep this card if i can't do that with it, it's the only way i fly now, the panorama view with vc panning is excellent. does anyone know if ati's can stretch horizontally, thereby using hardware acceleration on both monitors, making it possible to have multiple external views?thanksAndre